pearls & such: pets

I saw this on my SIL's blog this evening and since our pets are like our kids, I wanted to participate too!

Riley is a 3 and a 1/2 year old Australian Shepherd. Steele got him our last year of college. We had had one of the only university cancellations on record due to snow so my roommate and I rode with him to an old farm up a long, scary road up the edge of a mountain. The owner came to greet the 3 of us and we told him we were there to see the dogs he'd posted in a local ad. He let out a whistle and about 6 little muddy puppies came running out from their warm beds underneath the house. Steele made eye contact with this little guy and said, "that's the one".

Riley's car ride home from the farm, Jan '08

Our nicknames for him are Mr. Riles, Buddy, Buddy Boy, Monkey, Monks, and Monkey Business (later shortened to Monkey Bidness then shortened even more to just Biz.). Although technically he is Steele's dog, Riley is my protector. If I go upstairs, he follows along. I go to bed before Steele and though the dogs are not allowed on the bed, I let him sneak up until my hubby goes to sleep. Buddy loves to play catch and even though he'll be pooped he will not give up until you do. He loves to go to the local dog park (ahem, which my husband happened to design), run along the fence line with the neighbor's dog and howl with the neighborhood dogs anytime a fire truck siren goes by.

Mr. Riles and Me, Jan '09 - photo by Jenny Jimenez

Chloe is just 2 weeks younger than Riley, an Australian Shepherd/Border Collie mix. Steele had had Riley about a month and we had been visiting a local pet store when I saw the puppies. Chloe and I instantly fell in love! We left the store without her and I was completely heartbroken I didn't snatch her up. I figured since Steele already had a dog, it didn't seem feasible to have 2 young puppies between the both of us. Within a couple of hours, I just had to go back and bring her home with me.

Chloe's first day home, Feb '08

Chloe's nicknames are Da Chloe, Chlo's, Chlo Chlo, but most often just Princess. She is definitely daddy's little girl. Chloe loves to give kisses, lazily sleep along the hillside of our yard, and loves to swim. She's really good at jumping, one day as Steele was leaving for work, he saw her walking on the roof of our house! She loves to drink anything we are drinking, often sampling my coffee, wine, milk and water. Although mischievous at times, having even locked us out of the house once, she is a sweet, loving tender heart.

Steele and Chlo, Jan '09 - photo by Jenny Jimenez

Last but not least is our 2 year old little shitzhu named Bailey. Our best man, Austin, grew up in a house full of shitzhus. Steele had always wanted one of their puppies should Austin ever decide to breed one of his dogs. When Austin and Tracie decided to breed their dog Violet, it was all Steele would do but beg for one of the puppies. It took a lot of convincing for me, I didn't know if I had it in me to have another dog. We made several visits when the puppies were born and finally I agreed to bring one home so Steele chose the biggest girl of the pack. We brought her home 6 weeks later and she fit right in with the rest of the zoo.

Bailey during one of our visits, about 4 weeks old

Bailey goes by Bailey Bay, Bay Bay, Bays, Bails, and when she is misbehaving Terror. She loves to hang off of Chloe's tail or ear, pretend to be the house guard dog, nap with Steele, and watch me cook in case I accidentally drop any food. Sometimes while she is playing with Chloe, we find her head has completely disappeared inside Chloe's mouth. She is very vocal, if she needs to go out she barks by the door, if she is hungry she growls at you and swipes her food bowl around, and if she wants to play she does this kick with her back leg, kind of like a bull about to go in the ring. Even though Riley can't stand her, she still loves her big brother and picks up all his habits, like licking every surface possible and sometimes even going potty with one leg up.

Gone but not forgotten:
Rocko was my cat in college though he lived with Steele as a kitten. I picked him up from a little old lady in my hometown who had posted an ad about a litter of kittens up for adoption. I chose him because he had just come out of the litter box and therefore I knew he was box-trained :) He was more like a dog than a cat - Austin taught Rocko how to play catch. Rocko was a huge cuddler and also loved to chase the red laser light and pounce unsuspecting victims! After he turned a year old, he got really sick and the vet diagnosed him with FIP. I held on as long as I could, but eventually he went on to kitty heaven.

Rocko, circa 2005

Gonzo was my other college cat, who also lived with Steele while he was a kitten. He was a ferrel I adopted from the local pound. While living with Rocko, Gonzo was out of sight, a super shy-guy. No one even knew he existed except for when he came out to eat or use the box. After Rocko passed on, Gonzo totally blossomed! He would run as fast as he could from one corner of my apartment to the other, doing laps until he grew tired and passed out! When I found out Rocko had FIP I was hoping to get Gonzo vaccinated only to find out he tested positive for it too. The prognosis was only a year, but this little guy surprised us all and lived on much longer, joining Rocko in kitty heaven almost 6 years later - way to go Gonz!